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Record Unit 112,
Smithsonian Institution, Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum,
Correspondence and Memoranda, 1879-1907

Collection Overview

Smithsonian Institution, Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum

Title:

Correspondence and Memoranda

Dates:

1879-1907

Quantity:

10 linear meters.

Collection:

Record Unit 112

Language of Materials:

English

Summary:

These records comprise the primary outgoing correspondence of the officer in immediate charge of the United States National Museum from the appointment of George Brown Goode as Assistant Director in 1881. Records from the years 1879-1881 mostly pertain to the United States Fish Commission, and Commission business is included through 1887. In 1888, Goode was made Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum. After Goode's death in 1896, the business of this office was administered for a time by the Executive Curator, Frederick William True. Richard Rathbun became Assistant Secretary in 1898, but most correspondence in this series in the period 1896-1902 is signed by the Executive Curator; after that, most is signed by the Assistant Secretary.

Several peculiarities of this record unit should be noted. Predominance of Fish Commission correspondence in the pre-1881 years has been described. Although letterpress volumes are numbered sequentially, dates do not always follow in strict chronologic order; sometimes special books were designated for an official to use when out of the city or when discharging special duties. Many letters were signed by subordinates, the Secretary, and by the Assistant Secretary as Acting Secretary. Apparently, the sequential numbering was imposed at a later date. These records were in the custody of the Registrar for many years. See record unit 189 for incoming correspondence. See also record unit 192.

Descriptive Entry

These records comprise the primary outgoing correspondence of the officer in immediate charge of the United States National Museum from the appointment of George Brown
Goode as Assistant Director in 1880. Volumes are numbered sequentially with the prefix "L." Records from the years 1879-1881 mostly pertain to the United States Fish Commission,
and Commission business is included through the year of Spencer F. Baird's death in 1887. In 1888, Goode was made Assistant Secretary in Charge of the United States National
Museum. After Goode's death in 1896, the business of this office was administered for a time by the Executive Curator, Frederick W. True. Richard Rathbun became Assistant
Secretary in 1898, but most correspondence in this series in the period 1896-1902 is signed by the Executive Curator; after that, most is signed by the Assistant Secretary.

Several peculiarities of this record series should be noted. Predominance of Fish Commission correspondence in the pre-1881 years has been described. Although volumes are
numbered sequentially, dates do not always follow in strict chronological order; sometimes special books were designated for an official to use when out of the city or when
discharging special duties. Many letters are signed by subordinates and quite a few are signed by the Secretary or by the Assistant Secretary as Acting Secretary. Apparently,
the sequential numbering was imposed at a later date than the earliest volumes, although the exact time of numbering is not known. These records were in the custody of the
Registrar for many years.

Restrictions

Access Restriction

Record unit available on microfilm.

Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections
with related topics, persons or places.